BoatsContest 36S

Contest 36S

Masthead Sloop · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1984–1994

A Dick Zaal-designed cruiser featuring versatile keel and rig options, including a shoal-draft wing keel and fractional rig

Designed by Dick Zaal, built by Conyplex.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 30 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 30
CoastalBluewater

1.85 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.85
LightHeavy

287 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 287
EasygoingPowered-up

15.1 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 15.1
TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
40.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
15.1
Displacement / length
286.6
Comfort ratio
30.1
Capsize screening
1.85
Hull speed
7.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1216
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
1984–1994
Units built
88
Designer
Dick Zaal
Builder
Conyplex, Contest Yachts - Conyplex

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Herreshoff Manufacturing Newport 2910.84 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1914 Nathanael Herreshoff design featuring a fin keel and gaff-rigged sloop sail plan for classic performance
S2 Yachts 11.0 C10.97 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA centre-cockpit cruiser by Arthur Edmunds, designed for stability and comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder
Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanquest 3510.81 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Ed Dubois-designed cruiser sharing its proven hull with the Seahawk and Falcon, available in center or aft cockpit layouts
Moody 36S10.97 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn aft-cockpit variation of the Moody 36, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for balanced coastal cruising
Freedom Yachts 35 (Pedrick)10.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1993 performance cruiser with a deep 1.98-metre draft and a spade rudder for responsive handling
Hughes 3510.82 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop derived from design #2166, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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